Accepting the Crystal
by TeaWriter
Summary: After 10 years have passed, Sarah is now a successful 24-yr-old who wonders what to do with her life and how to end her continuous dreams of a certain Goblin King. Little does she know there is such help for such dreams as hers. JarethxSarah fluff.
1. Chapter 1

If anyone looked at Sarah Williams' life, they would have exclaimed that she was a success so far. Fresh out of college with a degree in education, she had already landed a teaching job at an adorable elementary school, nurturing the minds of 15 first-grade students. Her cheerful way with children easily placed her in the students' top 5 favorite teachers. One of her colleagues, a young Mr. Luke Davis, had asked her out the month before, and they had gone on two dates already. She lived in a modest apartment with her collection of books, an excellent coffee-maker, and a suitable-sized flat-screen TV.

However, by far, she loved her job. Nurturing the children in her class was a joy, a challenge she accepted readily. Her favorite part of being a teacher was the story-time hour. She would tell stories to the kids, spinning tales about Sleeping Beauty, or the adventures of Aladdin and his magic carpet. They held onto every word as she animatedly acted out the different characters. One little girl, perhaps Sarah's favorite student, begged for the story of the girl who wished her baby brother away to the goblins. "Abby, dear, I just told you that story yesterday," Sarah would chuckle fondly. But the girl was adamant, and would rally the other children to root for "the goblin story," as they affectionately called it. And Sarah would give in. After all, it was indeed a wonderful story. The characters were exactly what she knew they were: The innocent and brave girl, the grumpy goblin-turned-friend, the other creatures in the labyrinth, and the villain of the story, the Goblin King himself. Sarah was in her element when she narrated this particular story, and somehow, the children knew that this was her favorite story, too.

Everything was perfect. Supposedly. Sarah entered her apartment, tossing her keys and bag onto the kitchen counter with a careless sigh. This air of restlessness had been bothering her lately. She was a day away from turning 24, and, though Luke had eagerly offered to take them out on a special date, she had declined, saying that she was going out of town. She bit her lip in frustration. _Why do I feel this way? So empty?_ She wondered, flopping down onto her bed.

Luke. An interesting fellow, she mused. Not one to take no for an answer, he had gently persisted for the past two months before she finally agreed to go out with him. His head of dirty-blonde, well-groomed hair complemented his laughing, dark-brown eyes. His average build was always improving, as they'd met several times at the gym. She was on the elliptical, he was hitting the weights.

On their first date, he had been the example of the perfect gentleman, full of courtesy and smiles. It had been an enjoyable evening, full of romantic candles, a light meal at a fancy restaurant, and a moonlit walk in the park. When he saw her to the door, he asked her if she would consider another date with him sometime. She nodded and then bid him goodnight.

Sarah made a face as she shifted her position on the bed. She had gone out with several guys in high school and college. Nothing clicked with any of them. She couldn't understand why she didn't feel anything for any guy. Well… There was one in particular. But he was only in her imagination, she quickly dismissed. And he was her sworn enemy.

_But you can't deny the countless dreams you've had of him for the past decade,_ her smart-mouth mind chimed in. Sarah groaned. The dreams. The nightmares. They always included him. The Goblin King, in all his finery, would appear in a show of glitter to do either one of two things: dance with her and whisper his love and devotion in her ear, or smirk at her as she floundered in mid-air, surrounded by broken staircases and arches of stone from that one room in his castle. It was always the same. And when she woke up, she would be panting from the nightmare, or missing his warmth as consciousness brought her back to the land of the living.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Sarah began to sob as she gripped her pillow. "I defeated you already, yet you continue to plague me, taunting me as if I never won. Why do I feel like this?" She half-sniffled, half-chuckled as her thoughts abruptly turned to Luke.

"Sometimes," she sighed as she began to drift off to sleep, "sometimes I wish that Luke was the Goblin King…" The young woman didn't even notice the flurry of glitter that announced the arrival of a long-lost acquaintance. He drew himself up to his full height with an ever-present smirk on his face.

"So you wish your little boyfriend was me, eh?" The Goblin King drew near to the sleeping girl. "How insulting. Oh well. Whatever it takes, Sarah. I'm here now, and this time, you won't get rid of me that easily." He settled himself on the side of her bed, one leg tucked underneath, arms crossed, as he watched her chest rise and fall with each calm breath.

* * *

><p>Slowly, Sarah came back to the world. She took in a deep breath, not yet opening her eyes, and stretched. Her knee came in contact with something solid and warm. Her eyes flew open. There, in the fast-approaching twilight of early evening, was a dark figure on her bed. Another wide-eyed blink, and she took in a wild mess of pale-blonde hair and black leather gloves. Her nightmare had come to life.<p>

She scrambled to sit up, running her fingers through bed-tousled hair. He simply smirked at her, those mismatched eyes twinkling in mild amusement. Sarah cleared her throat.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her brow furrowing. Even though she had dreamed of him countless times, he was still the Goblin King who had kidnapped her brother. Her enemy.

"Come, come, now," He admonished gently. "Is that any way to greet an old acquaintance?" He spread his arms out as if expecting a hug. She drew back with a glare, rising up off the bed in a defensive stance. He stood with catlike grace to face the champion of his labyrinth.

"We're hardly acquaintances," she bit out. He tsked as he circled her like a predator appraising its prey.

"Such a pity, Sarah," He sighed. "I'd hoped we'd be past those petty fights of long ago." He gazed appreciatively as he studied her. She was a little taller now, almost coming up to his chin. The slight roundness of her face that indicated her transition from child to woman was now replaced by slender planes and a set of full, rosy lips. Her dark-brown hair had been stylishly cut at her shoulder, the gentle curves of her body were not hidden by the cardigan she donned. Of that particular part, he especially enjoyed the view. Sarah could feel his eyes appreciating her appearance, and couldn't fight the blush that bloomed on her creamy skin.

"You have no power over me, Goblin King," She crossed her arms. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"My dear, that line has been used and abused so many times now. Try something new for a change. And the name is Jareth, love," he added, reaching out with a leather-clad finger to catch a lock of her hair. The nearness of his proximity made her breath catch in her throat, sending her brain into overdrive. _He's so close! He's almost touching you! Do something!_

"Wha— What?" Sarah dumbly replied, the fog in her mind sending her in a daze. He smirked. His hand switched from fingering the silky lock to caressing the side of her face. Sarah's brain committed suicide right then.

"It's Jareth," He repeated, enjoying her reaction to his touch. "I'd say we're far from the common pleasantries of people who meet for the first time, wouldn't you agree?"

She huffed, ignoring his question and asking one of her own. "What do you want?"

"No, I believe the question is 'what do _you_ want'?" Jareth raised an eyebrow as he continued to stroke her cheek, noting that she hadn't moved away from him.

"What do you mean?" Sarah shivered from his touch, finally stepping back. Her face flushed hotly under his satisfied gaze.

"I think we both know what I mean," He turned away to glance at the statue on her desk. Again, his eyebrows rose as he picked up the figurine. Sarah blushed again. It was her mother's statue, the one that looked like the goblin king. Every detail, from his hair to his black polished boots, had been perfectly replicated in ceramics. "Cute," he chuckled, placing the statue back onto the wooden surface.

"Sarah," he turned back to her with a more intense look, "why do you insist on fighting me? You've won already, that we both know. Why the opposition?"

"Because you're cruel!" Sarah finally gathered up the melted fragments of her brain as she shouted. His expression flickered from casual interest to a dangerous glare and back again to softened amusement.

"Me? Cruel? Now there's something to smile about," he chuckled as he motioned for her to continue.

"Yes, you are." She said, feeling more and more helpless as she verbally fought for ground. "You still don't understand how important it was for me to get my brother back safely. Do you realize how much trouble I would have been in if I returned without Toby?"

"Oh come, come, now, precious," Jareth chided pleasantly. "I was only teasing you about your baby brother."

"You just don't tease 15-year-old girls like that!" She cried indignantly.

"That's funny," Jareth examined a piece of lint off his sleeve before flicking it away, "you didn't seem like a 15-year-old to me in the park."

"The—the park?" Now Sarah was confused. Jareth leaned back on the desk.

"You know, the place where you would act out your favorite stories and wear those interesting costumes?" A raised eyebrow completed the question.

"You... were watching me?" All coherent thought flew from the young woman's head.

"Mmm. You were quite entertaining, even at a young age, Sarah," Jareth's smile of silk irritated her.

"You—you pervert!" Sarah yelled. "What kind of man watches young girls playing in the park?" He rolled his eyes, pushing off from the desk to walk towards her.

"I grow weary of wasting more words on you, Sarah Williams, trying to show you what both you and I already know." He stalked her, his black leather boots thudding softly on the carpet. "Something troubles you, and has been troubling you for a very long time. I see you moaning in your sleep. I hear you talking to yourself about the same nightmare. I see you daydreaming about the same dream. How long will it take you to accept what we both know?" His tone had gone from casually light to low and solemn. His mismatched eyes of blue and hazel bore into her own wide green pair. He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Yes, I admit that you won my labyrinth, Sarah. But don't you know that you have won my heart as well?" She swallowed hard as his deep voice vibrated beside her ear, his hot breath stimulating every nerve in her body. _Do you mean I could have been with you by now if I'd agreed to accept the crystal?_ Sarah's mind screamed in dismay.

"You torment me, just like you did in that ballroom," Sarah vaguely heard her mouth talking, telling the truth, but she couldn't stop herself in time to throw him another casually-crafted lie. "I— I do dream of you. I dream of the time you danced with me, the time when you offered me my dreams in that crystal. How you told me to fear you, and love you… That you'd be my slave if I did as you said." She felt the tears forming in her eyes as she recalled her own stupidity.

"I was 15 years old, for crying out loud! I didn't understand what you meant! I thought it was another trick to slow me down! It was only until I was a little older that I understood what you were offering me. And by then it was too late." The tears fell freely now, but she made no move to wipe them from her face.

Turning away from him, she continued, "The only way I can keep you alive is to tell stories of the labyrinth to the children. I've gone on countless dates with several men, but it means nothing to me. Because it isn't you." Sarah's fists clenched and unclenched. She heard the Goblin King moving behind her, but pressed forward. "I used to hate you because you took Toby. In my mind, you were this monster who turned innocent children into goblins. Yet I couldn't stop thinking of you. Of wanting to be with you. Or wanting to see you one last time. It's all so messed up," She concluded brokenly. "_I'm_ messed up." Sarah whispered, collapsing before him in tired surrender.

"Free me." She begged, the tears continuing to fall.

The Goblin King, for once in his life, was speechless. He knew, to some extent, of her interest in him, and now to hear such a confession from his champion… It was like a burden had been lifted from him, to know the truth from her heart. He knelt down on one knee before the sobbing woman.

"Sarah," he called gently, his gloved hand reaching out to wipe away her tears, "I _can_ free you. I can do that and so much more. Now, do you realize what I can give you?" He drew her into his embrace, and Sarah finally felt like she had reached home. This was where she belonged. Her arms found their way around his waist as she buried her face against his neck.

"Jareth," she murmured against his skin. He trembled slightly at the feel of her lips on his neck.

"Yes, love?" He pulled away to gaze into her glimmering viridian eyes, but her head remained lowered.

"I won't fear you, Goblin King," She addressed him, though her face was turned away. "It's not in my nature to always be afraid." Sarah bit her lip before continuing. "But," she glanced up at him with a twinkle in her eye that triggered a baby spark of hope in his chest, "I will love you, do as you say, and therefore you shall be my slave." By now she had turned to fully face him, a soft smile of triumph on her face as she gazed into his enraptured, mismatched eyes. It was complete surrender that she was admitting to him. He mirrored her smile.

"I've always wanted to be a slave," Jareth grinned cockily before tilting her chin up with a gloved finger. Their lips touched softly, carefully at first, then slowly grew into a full-blown kiss as each individual abandoned their pride and inhibitions, giving in to the emotion and wonder of such a long-awaited surrender.

"But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl," Sarah whispered as she leaned her forehead against his, her eyes closed as she recited the fondly memorized words. "And that the girl loved the Goblin King as well. However, it took her a while to realize the love he had for her as well as her love for him." He heard the remorseful tones in her voice as she spoke.

"Sarah," Jareth breathed as she pressed closer to him within his embrace, "don't burden yourself anymore. You were young, you said so yourself that you didn't understand. It's alright." His fingers ran through the locks of her dark-brown hair soothingly. She smiled slightly as she relaxed in his arms.

"You are most generous, your Majesty," she replied softly, fingering the amulet he wore around his neck, then slowly drifting to brush the warm, solid planes of his bared chest. He fought back the urge to groan at the feeling of her touching his heated skin.

"I've turned the world upside down before, and I'll gladly do it again, my love," He caught her wandering fingers with his own, turning her attention from his chest to the crystal he now held out to her.

"For me?" Her mouth quirked up playfully as she looked up at him, her hand already reaching for the shimmering ball. A kiss, slow and loving and sweet, was her answer.

* * *

><p>Author's note: So this was my little contribution to the many Labyrinth fanfics out there. Please be kind! And by the way, I saw the movie twice; did anyone notice if Sarah knew his name or not? Did he ever tell her his name? I think Hoggle mentioned it in passing, but… let's just say she didn't remember it. :p And yes, though the JarethxSarah pairing was wonderful, in the movie it was just a little weird. I prefer the fanfics where they let her grow up a bit before he comes back into her life. Although his love and devotion for her is definitely honorable and worth mentioning! You can tell in David Bowie's songs, just how much passion there is within the Goblin King for this young girl, though she is still a child on the verge of becoming a woman. I heard somewhere that there was a scene that had Jareth and Sarah kissing, but the test audience complained so they cut it out of the movie. While I have just stated that I find their age difference a bit disturbing, ya gotta admit that that scene would have been interesting to see, yes? ^_^<p>

Oh btw, this is how I imagine our grown-up Sarah to be. 'Tis the lovely Jennifer Connelly! (And a picture of our handsome Goblin King as well!)

http:/ www. allhairstyles. org/ hairstyles/ jennifer- connelly- hair- style- 2011- 29. jpg

http:/ mydisguises. com/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2009/ 10/ bowie- jareth. jpg

(The spaces are not supposed to be there, but I couldn't figure out how to get the links to stay)


	2. Chapter 2: Epilogue

A/N: Just wrapping things up!

* * *

><p>"…I've enjoyed your company, Luke, but it's time for me to move on," Jareth stood outside the empty classroom, waiting for Sarah to finish tying up loose ends at her school. His Sarah would finally be by his side forever! He grinned to himself at the many adventures that they would have, some fun and some downright naughty. Yes indeed, things were looking up for the Goblin King.<p>

Inside the classroom, Sarah was having a hard time concentrating on breaking the news gently to her stunned colleague when all she wanted to do was say something like, "Look, I don't like you. The love of my life is outside, and I'm quitting my job to go live with him. Bye!"

Luke was upset. He'd truly enjoyed getting to know Sarah. At first she had been shy, almost rudely ignoring his requests to go out with him. But he had passed by her classroom, had seen her teach. She fascinated him. He quickly learned that both her and the children's favorite time of day was story time. He had hung back in the shadows, peeking in as she acted out the different parts of the story. She was a completely different person when she told a story. He desired to know her better. And up until now, he'd thought they were making progress.

But there had been something in her eyes, a faraway look, like she was searching for someone else. And then he knew. She would never be interested in him. Her heart already belonged to someone else. But… That didn't mean that he couldn't try. And try he did! He did everything in his power to please her, to get to know her, to make her love him. It wasn't enough.

With a resigned sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded wearily. There was no use arguing with Sarah once her heart was set. And from the looks of it, she was getting her way this time.

"Well then, I wish you all the best in your new endeavors, Sarah Williams," He smiled ruefully, sticking out his hand to shake hers. She returned his smile with equal parts of apology and relief, shaking his hand firmly.

"Thanks, Luke. I'll definitely miss the children, but you guys have it all under control," She stepped back and with a quick wave, left the classroom.

"Take care," he called after her. Sarah caught Jareth's hand as she passed by.

"Where are we going now?" He inquired pleasantly.

"My classroom," Sarah answered. "I just need to pick up a few things before we leave." He slipped his hand out of hers and placed his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. She giggled as she slapped his tightening hands. "We're in a school, Jareth! What if someone sees?" She tugged him toward her classroom.

"Let them stare," He shrugged lazily, his lips placing open-mouthed kisses along the back of her neck.

"You're impossible!" She laughed.

They reached the classroom and laughingly pulling away from him, she entered, almost running over a small figure had not Jareth pulled her back in time.

"Oh, Abby! I'm so sorry, sweetheart, I didn't see you!" Sarah bent down to hug the startled girl.

"I just came to get my lunchbox from my desk," Abby smiled adoringly at her teacher. Then she sobered up. "Is it true that you're going away, Ms. Sarah?" She looked at the woman with such sorrow that Sarah's heart ached for her young pupil.

"Yes, it's true," Sarah said seriously. "But don't worry. I'll never forget you, Abby. You've been a joy in my classroom." Abby sighed and looked past her teacher at the tall man with the funny yellow hair.

"Are you the Goblin King?" She asked with a toothy grin, her sadness about Sarah's soon-to-be absence forgotten for the moment. Jareth was surprised. He knelt down in front of the tiny girl.

"And what makes you think that I'm the Goblin King?" He touched the tip of her button nose with a playful finger. She giggled before answering, "Ms. Sarah tells us the story all the time! It's my favorite and I think it's her favorite story too. She says in the beginning that the Goblin King is a bad man, but in the end she makes him good because he grants everyone's wishes and makes them live happily ever after."

Sarah blushed hotly as Jareth looked up at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his lips. "Abby," she hissed out of embarrassment, "you should go eat your lunch before the lunch hour is over." The little girl nodded, and after throwing her arms around her teacher, she ran to give Jareth a hug as well, before giggling her way out of the classroom about Ms. Sarah and the Goblin King.

"So you told them about me?" He advanced toward her slowly, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. She flushed and took a step backwards. "It's just because they were bored," she defended lamely.

"And you made me to be the bad guy?" He continued with a smug look.

"I— Oomph!" Sarah began, but then his mouth was covering hers.

"Adorable minx," he rumbled between kisses. "I shall have to educate you on the Goblin King's noble character, and punish you for your misinterpretation of me."

She pressed herself against his chest, drowning in his heated embrace. "I can't wait," she whispered throatily, desire burning in her deep-green eyes.

With a flash of glitter, they were gone from the empty classroom.


End file.
